“Anthony? What are you doing here?” I fold my arms over my chest and glare at the man. He's crouching by the nightstand.

My nightstand. In my bedroom. Which I never let him into.

“I’m sorry,” he says.

As he stands up, I notice the phone in his hand. My phone. I am completely, entirely sure that's my phone, because there are pink cartoon donuts and cupcakes all over the case. It looks ridiculously tiny in Anthony’s big, hairy hand.

The man has got some explaining to do. He's the biggest, meanest-looking man I know, but I stand in the open doorway to block his path with my relatively puny body.

“Is that my phone?” I ask, even though I already know it is.

Anthony bends down to meet my stare, resting his hands on his thighs. His brown eyes look sad.

“I’m sorry, Alice. It has to be done.” He puts his hands on my upper arms.

“Hey! Get your hands off me!”

Instead of letting me go, Anthony spins me around until I'm inside my bedroom and he's in the doorway.

“Hey! Give me back my phone!” I struggle, but his hands are like a vice, locking me in place.

As soon as he lets me go, Anthony slams the door shut.

“Hey!” I grab the door handle and try to turn it, but all it does is make metallic rattling sounds. Try as I might, the white wooden door wouldn't budge. I thump on it. “Anthony! What do you think you're doing?”

I hear no answer from outside; only footsteps of a big, heavy man moving further and further away.

“Damn it!” I slam my fist on the door as hard as I can, and immediately regret it. A sharp pain invades my knuckles. “Ouch!”

I pull my hand back and blow on it.

Why did Anthony just do that?

Seth has loads of money and, as far as I can tell, has no problem using it to compensate his staff well. Surely a trusted man like Anthony enjoys good pay. He shouldn't need to steal phones.

Although, who’s to say he has to be in some desperate situation to resort to stealing? Maybe he just wants some extra beer money.

Wait. He said something weird, didn't he?

It has to be done.

What the hell does that even mean?

What has to be done? The theft of my phone? Locking me in my own room?

Why does it have to be done? Because Anthony needs money? Because he needs some time to run away after stealing my phone?

It makes zero sense. Why would he risk his job for a phone that's only worth a few hundred dollars on Craigslist?

What the hell is going on?

I was about to start searching for flights to Seattle on my phone, but I guess that's not happening now.

God, what do I do now?

The house is always quiet. I don't really see anyone other than Seth, Alejandra, Anthony, Ana, and the few women who clean the house, none of whom speak much English. Of course there are also the security guys outside…

Wait, that's it!

Someone's bound to come along, right?

It's not like I’m going to die of starvation and slowly rot in here. It's just a matter of time until someone lets me out, so there's no need to panic.

I scan the room. My eyes land on my notebook full of recipes, lying on the same nightstand my stolen phone was on.

I know!

I cross the room to get the notebook and the pen on top. I tear out two pages. I write the same message on both pieces of paper. I slide one under the door and stick the other one on the window with some sticky tape. I check the window for some way for me to sneak out through it, but it only opens a few inches; there's no way I’d fit.

Oh, well. It's okay. It won't be long until someone walks through the hallway right outside my door or passes my window from the outside. Then, they’ll come let me out after reading the message I’ve written:

* * *

“Alice?” Emily leans in until her face is hovering just inches over my face.

I frown at her. What is she doing?

“Are you okay?” She looks concerned.

Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?

“Well, no particular reason. It's just, you don't look okay.”

Why would I not look okay? How do I look?

“You look fine. It's not that.”

Wait. I didn't say those questions out loud, so how did Emily know what I was thinking?

The room starts to spin, and I hear a rhythmic sound, like the beating of a tribal drum. The room spins faster and the beats grow louder and everything whirls together into some kind of psychedelic mess.

Then, silence.

“Alice?”

Who's calling me? Emily?

“Alice?”

No, not Emily. Someone else.

“Alice?”

She speaks with a thick accent… Ana!

I will myself awake.

More knocking on the door. My bedroom door. In Seth’s mansion.

I remember where I am now, and what’s happening. I need to get out of here.

“Alice?”

“Ana!” I sit bolt upright and call out. “Ana, are you there?”

“Yes,” she says softly from outside the door. “Are you okay?”

“Yes! Ana, could you let me out?” I crouch on the carpet by the door. I can see the shadows of Ana’s feet.

“No.”

“What?” I must've heard wrong. It must be the old language barrier. “Ana, you have to open the door for me. I’m trapped in here!”

“Sorry, Alice. I have to go now.” I hear her get up and take a step back.

“Wait, Ana!”

“I can't stay,” she says under her breath. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Ana, listen. Anthony stole my phone, and then he locked me in here. Can you open the door for me, please? I need to get out.”

“Sorry,” Ana says. Her footsteps are light as she walks away.

What the hell? Can people stop apologizing to me and just tell me what's going on?

Why am I being locked up? Who is locking me up, and why? If Anthony is acting alone, then why wouldn't Ana help me get out? If they're both in it, then… But… But that doesn't make any sense! Why would they work together to lock me up here? What's in it for them? A crappy used phone?

I sit my butt down on the floor and massage my temples. My head hurts from all the questions swimming in my mind.

I might also be feeling faint from having missed dinner. It's dark outside the window but, without my phone, I can't tell what time it is.

My stomach rumbles. I thought I was never going to go hungry ever again, especially after taking this job. But for the first time in a long time, I’m actually worried about starvation.

I chuckle to myself. Serves me right for going home with the handsome stranger. I totally violated the rules of stranger danger.

On the bright side, I won't be dying any time soon. Thanks to the ensuite bathroom, at least I have drinking water.

I decide it's probably still too early to throw furniture at the window to shatter the glass. No, I’ll reserve that for later, if things get any worse.

Maybe Anthony threatened poor Ana, and someone else will let me out in the morning.